This invention relates to cotton candy machines and more particularly to improved cotton candy machines for increasing production of cotton candy.
Cotton candy machines are well known. Typically such machines include a spinner or floss head for issuing fibers of molten sugar. The spinner head is surrounded by a tub or bowl in which congealed or cooled fibers are collected as candy. A paper cone is manually introduced into the bowl between the spinner head and bowl and is twisted to collect a serving of the fluffy candy.
Spinner heads used in such machines today typically include a slotted or perforated band forming a ring and defining a chamber into which sugar is poured. A ribbon-like, perforate heating element is disposed in ring-like form internally of, but adjacent the slotted band. When heated, the heating element melts the granular sugar flung against it by the spinning motion of the head. Molten sugar moves through openings in the heating element and issues from the slots in the band as molten fibers. These fibers cool and congeal on their way toward the surrounding bowl and may be captured by the bowl or collected as candy floss on a paper cone interjected therebetween. One such apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,489,342.
It is also common to use an upper and lower floss band and heating element assemblies for producing cotton candy. One such machine is shown in applicant's own U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,821 which is specifically incorporated herein by reference. In this machine, the upper and lower floss bands are disposed adjacently, one atop the other. Each band has a plurality of inclined slots and the slots in one band are spaced from their counterpart or juxtaposed slots in the other band about 3/8". In use, both heater elements are heated and sugar issues from both bands. The molten fibers from the upper and lower bands tend to coalesce while still molten, and produce a homogeneous, single color cotton candy floss product.
It has also been known in the past to produce multiple color cotton candy using variations on the single color floss head assembly. For example, in Bowe Pat. No. 3,036,532, one floss band is stacked on another floss band to define two separate sugar chambers. The respective bands define outlets from the two separate sugar chambers each filled with a different color sugar. The heads are alternatively heated to alternatively produce cotton candy in varied colors, which can be collected on a paper cone as a striped cotton candy serving.
Another attempt at making two color cotton candy is illustrated in Bowe U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,262. Two similar spinner or floss heads defining two separate sugar chambers are spaced apart axially. Air vanes are disposed between the heads. These vanes discharge a flat stream of air radially in a horizontal plane which keeps the sugar filaments from each head separate from the filaments of the other head, all to produce two distinctive colors.
Yet another attempt to produce multiple color cotton candy is disclosed in Sullivan U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,782. Two stacked spinner heads defining separate sugar chambers are separated by an intermediate disk-like "stripe enhancer". Similar disk-like "enhancers" are disposed axially at the respective ends of the heads. The intermediate "enhancer" serves to maintain distinct colors externally of the chamber. Color separation is maintained and enhanced by all the enhancers. Together, they function to prevent undesired axial spread of the melted sugar exiting from each of the heads. As a result, confectionery fluff on the inside of the associated tub wall can be gathered to form striped cotton candy.
While these multiple color candy devices may be suitable for producing striped cotton candy, they are not disclosed as being particularly useful or helpful in producing single color cotton candy. For example, if the multiple heads are all used with only one sugar color, there is no disclosure of the efficacies of the machines to produce single color cotton candy, nor of their ability to do so practically. Use of only one of the heads, or the filling of both chambers with a single color would be required.
When applicant's prior multiple band single color machine, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,821, is operated, molten sugar issuing from the two adjacent bands is believed to coalesce prior to its cooling or congealing. A single, homogeneous fibrous mass of candy is produced. While effective for single color production, the ineffectiveness of this apparatus to produce striped or multiple color candy is exhibited by the disclosures of the other patents noted above which rely on separation of the sugar both within and issuing from the multiple heads. Accordingly, it is believed these multiple color devices are considered improvements over the apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,821 only in the context of the production of two-color cotton candy, and that they are not relevant to enhanced or efficient production of single color cotton candy.
It is an objective of this invention to provide improved apparatus and methods for the production of single color cotton candy.
A further objective of this invention has been to provide improved apparatus and methods for more efficiently producing single color cotton candy.
A further and more specific objective of this invention has been to provide improved apparatus and methods for increasing production of cotton candy from a measured base amount of sugar.
A still further objective of this invention has been to provide improved methods and apparatus for making cotton candy which reduces the heat required for its manufacture.
To these ends, a preferred embodiment of the invention includes a single color cotton candy machine having a tub and a spinner head comprising two slotted floss bands, each having a heater unit, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,821, which is incorporated herein by reference. One floss band is axially spaced from the other by about one-half inch or more, but without any mechanical or fluid stream producing means for separating the molten sugar issuing therefrom. A ring-shaped spacer is disposed between the two bands and separates them about 1/2 inch or more. Since the slots in each band are spaced about 3/16 inch from the edge thereof, this spaces the respective slots in one band about 7/8 inch from the respective slots in the other band.
The upper and lower bands and the spacer define a single internal common chamber for receiving a homogeneous fill of sugar which can flow to each heater and band for emission from apertures therein.
The spacer has an external surface generally in the same cylindrical surface as the bands, and an internal surface which is tapered to an apex midway between the side faces of the spacer to help direct sugar from the common sugar chamber toward both bands.
When the head spins, sugar is flung outwardly toward the respective heating elements and bands where it is melted and issues in molten form from the slots in the bands. Since the bands and slots therein are spaced apart, coalescence of the molten sugar issuing from one band with that of the other band is delayed until the sugar begins to cool. This coalescence does not occur until the sugar is wholly or partly cooled and congealed, but it does occur generally before the sugar reaches the tub walls.
The results of this system are spectacular! For example, as compared to the machine in U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,821, when the head described above is used, production of same size cotton candy servings from the same amount of initial sugar is increased over 50%! Moreover, it has been discovered that the production cycle requires 16% less energy while at the same time producing many more same size servings' The invention thus substantially increases the number of same size servings of cotton candy from a measured base amount of sugar, while requiring substantially less energy to do so. Profits from machine operation increase substantially. Such results are unknown for prior cotton candy machines, including those patented devices described above.
Applicant's tests show that the phenomena described above begins to appear when the spacing between the bands approaches one half inch or more, thus spacing the band openings, i.e. those in the upper and lower bands, about 7/8 inches apart. When the band spacing is much less than one half inch, or slot spacing less than 7/8 inch, the phenomena is not present, or is substantially reduced. When the spacing between the slots increases over 7/8 inch, the phenomena still is retained, the upper limit apparently being dictated by tub size, motor shaft overhung load limits, or the practicalities involved in manually collecting candy on a paper cone.